


the descent into hell is easy

by mothmanlovesya



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Minor Blood and Gore, Near Death, Not Beta Read, Parting Words Regret, Whump, badthingshappenbingo, im new at this whop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-13 06:38:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16012352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothmanlovesya/pseuds/mothmanlovesya
Summary: Shadowhunters don’t fear guns. Most don’t, at least. Clary may be an exception, growing up mundane and all. It’s just a matter of what’s more likely to kill you. For mundanes, guns are pretty high up on the list, so their fear is subsequently larger. But for shadowhunters there’s demons and circle members trying to kill you, so once you take that into account the likeliness that your death will be at the mercy of a gun is unlikely. So no one thinks about it. Alec didn’t think about it.





	1. I don't wanna go

Shadowhunters don’t fear guns. Most don’t, at least. Clary may be an exception, growing up mundane and all. It’s just a matter of what’s more likely to kill you. For mundanes, guns are pretty high up on the list, so their fear is subsequently larger. But for shadowhunters there’s demons and circle members trying to kill you, so once you take that into account the likeliness that your death will be at the mercy of a gun is unlikely. So no one thinks about it. Alec didn’t think about it.

It was supposed to be a usual, maybe even uneventful, mission. The institute has reason to believe that a certain warehouse may be a meeting place for some circle members. It’s not very concrete though, so the chance of actually finding said circle members is little. In fact, finding some type of demon instead might be even more likely. But it’s still too high of a chance to risk not going, so Alec accepts the mission and assigns Clary to go with him. As hard as it is to deal with her, Alec knows she can get the job done. Plus she can’t read him as well as his siblings, and he can’t deal with them pushing him on why he’s upset. And yea, he’s upset.

Alec and Magnus had gotten into a fight. They don’t get into them often, but when they do it’s bad. Existentially, earth-shakingly bad. It started with Alec being too reckless which moved to Magnus being immortal which moved to Magnus’s ex’s which moved to yelling and anger and hurt and then leaving. Alec had left, walked out, discussion/yelling match unfinished. He had avoided Jace and Izzy all day. Alec can be a very hard person to read, but he knew his siblings would be able to tell something was wrong. And he didn’t want to deal with that, not now at least. He would do this mission then sleep and figure it out with Magnus in the morning. So, with that, he put on his thigh holster, grabbed his bow and arrow, and headed out with Clary for the mission.

Clary doesn’t shut up until they reach the warehouse. Something about Simon maybe, but Alec isn’t paying attention. He feels a bit bad, but he just can’t put up with it today. She quiets though, once they reach the warehouse, and it’s understandable why. Something is… off. It’s normal. Completely and eerily normal. They glance at each other before Alec creaks open the metal back exit door just enough to see inside, both of them clutching their steles. Inside there’s noise, people talking. It’s a meeting. The warehouse space is awful for fighting, long-range weapons especially. It’s almost completely empty and there’s no upper level to give them the high ground. All they can do is see how many circle members there are and rush them or call for help. Alec leans back from the door, turning to Clary.

“I can see four. Once I shoot one with my bow we’ll head in and attack the other three. I’ll shoot for the leg so we can at least take that one back to the clave.” He whispers. Clary nods, getting out her daggers. Alec opens up the door a bit more, enough so Clary can see too, and gets ready to take his shot at one with a red beanie. He calms his nerves, readying himself to the ambush. _3, 2, 1._ Once the arrow hit its target in the left knee, they both sprinted for the fight. But nearly five steps in and they both slowed down. All four of the men were yelling. One was running away, the other tending the guy hit with the arrow. The last one had a gun. They were mundanes. _Fuck._

“WHO THE FU-” The one with the gun started to yell, but stopped when both started to turn to run. It was too late.

Guns are loud. Louder than you expect them to be. Shadowhunters are used to quiet deaths. The sad slice of a blade, the slow poison of venom. Everything about this was wrong. Alec was with the wrong person in the wrong place. He made the wrong call. He made the wrong choices. He chose to go on the mission, he chose to take Clary instead of letting his siblings help him, and then, because he was too caught up in what happened with Magnus, he forgot to use a glamour. And then he assumed that the mundane drug dealers were circle members. He fucked up. And now he’s behind the warehouse, bleeding out from his side. The man who shot him is looking around next to them frantically, but Clary must have glamoured them by now. She was talking to him, but her voice was fuzzy and distant.

“Hang in there, ok? Come on, come on…” She begged, crying.

“I-I’m o-” Alec started. His breathing was rigid, his skin turning paler by the second.

“STOP! Save your strength, oh my angel…” She interrupted, closing her eyes to focus. A few seconds later she let go of where she was compressing the wound to make a portal. The which he was quickly dragged through.

Alec was started to lose it. He was no longer sure of what was happening, there was just a lot of noise and light. So much noise. His body felt numb as it was tossed and poked. He was dying. It was so unexpected, so random, so useless. Alec always thought he would die saving somebody, or fighting in a war. But this death… This death was useless. Pathetic. Born of stupid and selfish mistakes. If he had just let his siblings help him, maybe he would’ve remembered to put on his glamour. Or, even before that, if he had just accepted the fact that Magnus was immortal and he wasn’t then maybe none of this would’ve happened. He doesn’t want to go out knowing his last words to Magnus was some sort of slur in anger. A slammed door. He doesn’t want to go out knowing he avoided his siblings the day before. What was that last thing he said to them… Does he even know? It’s blurring, everything blurring. Everything is flashes of memories.

A three-year-old Izzy crying, Alec vowing to protect her. _And now she’ll be on her own… no-_ Jace asking Alec to be parabatai, Alec practicing the vow for hours and hours. _Losing a parabatai… A fate worse than death, I can’t leave hi-_ Magnus interrupting his wedding, Alec having the strength to finally live his own life. _Magnus… Magnus, Magnus, Magnus-_ The noise is starting to fade, and slowly the light follows. It’s getting darker and darker. He tries to say things, but can’t figure out if he’s really saying them or just thinking them. _I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I love you, I love you. Isabelle… Jace… Magnus…_

_Descensus Averno facilis est. The descent into hell is easy._


	2. Please don't leave me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus hated not answering the phone. He’d answer anytime someone called, almost no matter who it was. Because he knows that there’s always a small, minuscule chance that something has happened and someone needs him. He doesn’t want someone to suffer or die because he didn’t bother to pick up the phone. But then Izzy called.

Magnus hated not answering the phone. He’d answer anytime someone called, almost no matter who it was. Because he knows that there’s always a small, minuscule chance that something has happened and someone needs him. He doesn’t want someone to suffer or die because he didn’t bother to pick up the phone. But then Izzy called. 

It was late, 3AM. It was only 8 hours ago he was yelling at Alec in this very apartment. The argument was nonsense, it really was. 

_“I can’t turn back the clock anymore than a shadowhunter can, the past is the past!” Magnus fumed, standing from his past position on the couch._

_“I know that! You’re the one who brought it up this time!” Alec raised his voice while rubbing his hand on his temples._

_“I didn’t I just don’t want us to have kids only so you can feel superior to anyone from my past!”  
“Would it be so bad if it did? Doesn’t it? That’s not the only reason I want kids, far from it, but I don’t see why you think that’s so important.”_

_“I don’t want our kids to be a trophy for you, Alexander!”_

_“I never said that!” Alexander stood up, yelling._

The things they said… The things he said… It gave Magnus a headache just remembering it. So when Izzy called… He ignored it. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she found out what had happened by now, and while he wants to believe she'll be the voice of reason… He just doesn’t think she will be. She’ll probably take Alec’s side, saying Magnus needs to stop reading so deeply into this. But he can’t. Stop reading into it, that is. Plus, it’s adopting a kid. Isn’t that supposed to be something you read into? Either way, he can’t bring himself to listen to a lecture. So he listens to the ringtone playthrough and sips his self-made martini, readying himself for yet another sleepless night.

And then she calls again.

Magnus huffs. _Isabelle is a persistent one, isn’t she?_ But he won’t do it, he _can’t_ do it. But he can’t listen to his god-awful ringtone again either, so he grabs his phone and cancels the call, throwing it onto the couch in front of him. Something starts to feel off though. It hasn’t been that long since the fight and it’s the middle of the night. If she really wanted them to resolve this then why wouldn’t she wait to see if Alec does it himself in the morning… Why would she call him this late to fix a problem that they would probably settle themselves by the morning? It didn’t set right in Magnus’s stomach. 

And then she calls again.

Magnus practically leaps at the phone. He can’t help himself. He answers and puts it up to his ear.

“Hel-”

“Magnus we need you- we need you- oh my angel oh my angel- Magnus…” Her voice is shaky and tired. There’s commotion in the background. A male screaming in pain and the unsettling calm yelling of importance that you find at hospitals. Magnus is at the institute before he even realizes he’s making a portal.

It’s chaos, just like the phone call. There are people rushing around, medical supplies being hurried into one room that looks crowded both inside and outside. Izzy is right by the door, clutching her phone and sobbing. She’s talking to someone, most likely Simon since he’s the only one not here now. Right next to her is Clary, crying and clutching Jace, who’s on the floor writhing and screaming in pain. Clary is covered in blood… So much so Magnus nearly want to vomit looking at her. So Jace is hurt… but the scene still seems off. Magnus rushes over regardless.

“What’s going on?!” He asks hurriedly, crouching down with Clary and Jace.

“It’s-It’s Alec.” Clary stammers, clutching Jace as he screams. Magnus goes pale. Parabatai.

“Where is he.” He demands, standing. Izzy points to the door, hand shaking uncontrollably. Magnus pushes his way through the crowd immediately, yelling at anyone in his way to move. And then he sees him.

Blood. So much blood. His shirt, soaked completely, has been tossed to the side, but his torso is still smeared with the dark red liquid. It smells like burnt skin and hair, iratzes carved all over him. Someone’s compressing the wound in his side with a cloth that’s soaked deep red and another person is hooking him up to an IV and heart rate and breathing machine. Alec himself looks pale. His breathing is rigid and irregular, his eyes are unfocused and lidded. He’s speaking softly, but no one can hear him over the yelling for people and more bandages.

“HE’S GOING INTO SHOCK!” Someone screams as Alec’s eyes start to roll back.

“MOVE!” Magnus yells, bringing his already glowing hands down onto Alec’s chest.  
It’s clear to him immediately. Alec is dying. He’s losing blood too fast and going into shock. And then his heart rate starts to drop. Magnus pushes his magic to help, to be _stronger._

“...I... I love…” Alec mummers, searching painfully into the ceiling, sweat pouring from his face.

“Stop it, not yet…” Magnus snaps, pouring more into his magic, but it still doesn’t seem to be working.

_“...descen...sus... averno fac...ilis est…”_ Alec stammers, voice dying off as he starts to relax. All of the shadowhunters around seem to silence, only leaving the tormented screaming of Jace and sobbing. A collective, pained sobbing. But Magnus isn’t a shadowhunter. He’s not just going to give up because Alec said his ode to death. He’s not going to sing a requiem before a dead man dies. No. Not like this. Not yet. He’s not going to have his true love, his boyfriend, his soon to be fiance, die with their last words being… Being…

_“You wanna be like my ex’s?! THEN LEAVE?!” Magnus yells in anger. He immediately flushes red, hating himself for saying it. He curses himself. He’ll do so much, go so far, just to win in an argument._

_“Maybe I will!” Alec yells back, grabbing his jacket. Magnus tisks and rolls his eyes._

_“You’re always so fast to give up.” He growls._

_“I’M NOT GIVING UP! I’M JUST NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND BE ACCUSED OF SHIT I DON’T THINK AND FIGHT IN AN ARGUMENT WHERE YOU WON’T LISTEN TO ANYTHING I SAY!” Alec screams, clutching his jacket like he’s going to rip it in half. They stand there in silence for a second. A pained silence._

_“Well? FUCKING LEAVE!” Magnus spits, glamour glitching from anger. And Alec does. He whips the door open and slams it without another word._

Magnus grimaces. _Fucking leave._ He pours more of himself into his magic. He doesn’t even care if he dies from saving Alec anymore, those just can’t be his last words. They can’t be. He’s said some awful things, had some awful breakups, but he is NOT going to lose Alexander like this, not when there is even a single thought in Alexander’s mind that Magnus doesn’t love him.

“Don’t leave, please don’t leave,” Magnus whispers, starting to cry from his magic. “You’re better than anyone in my past. You’re the love of my life Alexander, _please._ Please don’t leave, _please_ don’t leave me.” Everything starts to pour out of him in the form of magic. All of his love for Alexander, all of his love for anyone in his past. His hopes for the future, his want for a wedding, for kids. It fills the room with hope and love, a bright light that refuses to be killed or dimmed. Magnus Bane was not going to let Alexander Lightwood die thinking that he wanted him to go, and when Magnus Bane wants something: he fights for it until his last breath.

Alec’s pulse comes back right as Magnus falls to the floor, passing out from exertion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added a third chapter because i ended up writing a short sort of prologue. it's not a bingo mark, just a small wrap up that i'll post tomorrow. also thank yall for the kudos and comments, they mean alot :)


	3. stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...too tired to reread and edit.... take my garbage wrap up.... (but srsly thanks for the support, i think i wanna start writing more  <3)........ maybe one day i'll actually write a character death ope

Magnus wakes up from the sun shining in his face. He could easily sleep for hours, days, more, but he pushes his eyes open. _Alexander_. He shields his eyes from the light and tries to take in his surroundings. It’s a medical room in the institute, completely empty. _Where is Alexander_. Magnus pushes himself awake, at least long enough to find Alexander. He’s still exhausted, magic not nearly returned. After using so much, there’s no telling when it will come back. But he pushes through the exhaustion, getting up and leaving the room. This wing of the institute is quiet as he walks through, peering in every door. Most of them are empty, some having another shadowhunter that Magnus doesn’t know, or at least doesn’t acknowledge. In one he finds Jace, head wrapped and still soaked in sweat on the bed, but Simon is curled up next to him. The window blinds are closed for safe measures. 

It’s a good sign. Parabatais would usually have a hard time sleeping if one died… Magnus continues his search and finds Izzy asleep in a chair next to a full bed. _Alexander._ Magnus made his way into the room, leaning on any object near to keep himself straight. _He’s alive_. The heart rate machine hooked up to him is beeping steadily and his side is now wrapped in completely white wrapping, the rest of his chest cleaned off. The blood-soaked shirt is gone. There’s nearly no trace of what happened in the chaos the night before. 

Izzy stirred slightly in her seat where she was asleep, peering groggily at Magnus. 

“You- You should be asleep.” Izzy droned, trying to wake herself a bit as she acknowledged him. 

“So should you.” Magnus muses slightly, smiling. He can’t help it now, knowing his Alexander is safe. Now he just has to tell him…

“And I was, but you really do need sleep. You could’ve died with how much magic you used.” Izzy straightens herself after the sentence. “Thank you, Magnus.” She stared him in the eyes as she said it sincerely. Magnus felt heavily with it, because maybe if he hadn’t started this fight then none of this would’ve happened. Izzy seems to read his tired expression quickly though. “You saved his life. He would’ve died. But whatever you need to say to him, you can say to him later. The nurse says he’s stable and you both need rest.” Izzy pleads with tired eyes. Magnus understands, nodding with an exhausted sigh. But then he makes no movements. Izzy does though, standing from her seat. She gives a knowing smile as she drudges out of the room, leaving it open behind her. 

He blinks a bit, but trudges to the side of the bed Alec isn’t hooked up to and lays down lightly. Alec barely moves, but slightly curls up into the new person in the bed. Magnus doesn’t pay attention though, because right when his head hits the pillow he falls back asleep.


End file.
